Pilot for gas ranges



y 1942- H. D. DUFAULT 2,281,563

PILOT FOR GAS RANGES Filed May 13, 1941 INVENTOR.

Patented May 5, 1942 PILOT FOR GAS RANGES Homer D. Dufault, Easthampton, Mass., assignor to Holyoke Heater Company, Hoyoke, Mass., a corporation of Massachusetts Application May 13, 1941, Serial No. 393,240

1 Claim.

This invention relates to improvements in pilots for gas ranges and the like and the principal objects thereof are directed to the provision of a. pilot for a gas range, water heaters, house heaters and other gas-heating apparatus, that is eflicient in its operation and requires but a relatively small amount of fuel.

It is customary to provide pilots which are in continuous operation to heat a thermo-couple for holding open a gas supply valve and it is common to place the pilots sufficiently close to burners to ignite the gas at the burner when it is desired to operate the same. The supply valve, which is held open by operation of th pilot, closes when the pilot flame is extinguished so that gas is not supplied the burner when there is no pilot to ignite it.

Pilots heretofore employed requir primary air which is usually supplied the pilot through one or more relatively small apertures which become readily clogged with dust, lint, and other foreign matter so that the flam from the pilot becomes lazy with a yellow flame. Such a flame acting on the thermo-couple very quickly smokes, soots up and carburizes the thermo-couple and more or less insulates it so that it becomes less sensitive and efficient in operation; also such pilots consume a relatively large amount of fuel which is a serious consideration as in the case of a gas range where several pilots are employed.

According to this invention a luminous flame pilot is made to provide the heat for the thermocouple and ignite the main burner but the luminous part of the flame does not impinge on either.

A valve is represented by V which has interior means for closing th same. The valve is disposed in a fuel supply line represented by 2 so that when the valve is closed there is no fuel flow to the burner or burners.

A thermo-couple is represented by 4 which is connected through tube 6 to the valve V. While the thermo-couple 4 is heated the valve remains open to permit fuel to-flow to the burner while when the thermo-couple cools, the valve is allowed to close, thereby shutting off the gas.

The valve and thermo-couple are well known in the art, do not form a part of the invention,

According to this invention a pilot is provided referred to in connection with the accompanying description of the present preferred form thereof.

In the drawing: l i Fig. 1 is a side elevational view of a pilot embodying the novel features of the invention associated with a thermo-couple forming a part of a fuel-control apparatus; and

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the pilot and thermocouple shown inFig. 1.

Referring to the drawing more in detail, the invention will be fully described.

and are referred to for the purpose of assisting in a description of the invention.

A support 8 which may be of any desired form for locating the pilot of the invention supports the thermo-couple d and has th pilot ID of the invention associated therewith in close proximity to the thermo-couple.

The pilot has a lower threaded end in threaded engagement with support 8 and is preferably hollow or provided with a chamber for gas flowing thereto from a chamber l2. To the latter is connected a gas supply pipe It as by means of a fit ting such as IS.

The pilot is preferably made from aluminum or an aluminum composition and it has an outwardly extending flange 88 adjacent the upper side of which are portsm. One of the ports 20 is directed generally towards the thermo-couple while other of said ports may be directed at an angle thereto.

As gas discharged through the .ports 28 is ignited, tongues of flame are provided as indicated by dot-dash lines in Fig. 2. One tongue of flame strikes the thermo-couple as shown while the other tongue or tongues may be utilized to ignite gas from a burner or burners when the pilot is located'adjacent thereto for that purpose.

The pilot is so disposed relative to the thermocouple and the port directed towards said the'rmo-couple is sgarranged that the tongue of flame rather envelopes said couple with the inner part of the flame, which as applicant has observed it is a ,blue part impinging the couple and the outer yellow part extending beyond. With such an arrangement the thermo-couple is not injuriously affected by the yellow part of the flame in that it is not smoked up and carburized wherefor the life of said couple is prolonged, while at all times it is sensitive to the heat and operates efliciently over a long period of time.

The flange or deflector I8 prevents air passing upwardly along the pilot from bending the tongues of flame upwardly along the pilot whereby their eflectiveness would be lost. Instead the tongues of flame extend outwardly radially as is desired.

The pilot, being made from aluminum, will not corrode to the extent that it would if made from other metals whereby it has a longer useful life than prior art pilots. As stated, the pilot is of the luminous flame type wherefor the gas consumption is very small as compared with blue flame burners which is important yet the flame appears to have a blue part which is utilized for heating the thermo-couple without the serious efiects of a yellow flame. No primary air being required. there are no small holes in the burner that may clog up and change'the character of the flame.

The invention may be embodied in other speeific forms without departing from the essential characteristics thereof. Hence, the present embodiments are therefore to be considered in all respects merely as being illustrative and not as being restrictive, the scope of the invention being indicated by the appended claim rather than by the foregoing description, and all modifications and variations as fall within the meaning and purview and range of equivalency of the appended claim are therefore intended to be embraced therein.

What it is desired to claim and secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

The combination with a thermo-couple extending vertically irom a support, 01 heating means for said couple comprising in combination, a pilot extending vertically from said support having a. closed bore for gas provided with a gas inlet at its lower end and a port leading through a wall of the pilot from said bore spaced downwardly from the upper closed end of the bore directed toward said couple for horizontally directing a flame of gas emitted from said port onto and around said cou ple, and a deflector associated with the pilot spaced below and adjacent the port thereof having a part extending outwardly horizontally towards said couple to direct air flowing upwardly of the pilot outwardly away from said mrt tending to displace a dame directed therefrom from the horizontal, said couple and pilot Ming relatively spaced apart whereby said couple may be disposed within the inner part of a horizontal flame from said port and adjacent the pilot with the flame around said couple.

HOMER D. DUFAULT. 

